This past Friday I flew into San Jose where Ara, Nathan, and Sarah greeted me. We drove to the hills, where we met up with the bride and groom who we were there to shoot. A short drive to Carmel and the fun began.
Ara and I went with the bride and groom to the ocean, where in the near 70 degree weather we frolicked in the surf, took their photos, with Pebble Beach Golf Course on the bluffs above. We attended the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and then we made our way to our hotel in Monterey.
The hotel...what an experience. The room reservation was botched, the rug in our room had a very distinctive iron-shaped burn on the floor, and Nathan and I are pretty sure that was a blood stain on the shower curtain. Aren't shower curtains like a dollar at the Dollar Tree? The room was at least three shades of pink, oddly though it had impeccable beautiful high-gloss, polished granite tiles on the bathroom floor. The owners clearly ran out of money after the tiling job. Evidence? The ice bucket was from a Days Inn. We were not at a Days Inn.
Ara and I went as a team to ask to borrow an iron (after all, there was proof one existed at the hotel at some point on our floor), and we also needed extra towels as we had four people in our room.
The hotel manager grunted as he gave us an iron and ironing board. But oh, when we asked for towels it was all over. "You already have TWO in your ROOM!" he snapped.
We stared at him.
He finally grunted again, unlocked a closet, and gave us two more washcloth-sized, thinning towels. Who knew there was a towel shortage in Monterey?
The wedding was a smash, at L'Auberge Carmel. The funny notes here are that the bride wore a dress a bride I shot two years ago in NH wore, and the wedding in Sedona I shot a few years ago was held at L'Augberge Sedona. Small world in those classy joints! The Villa was beautiful, the bride was stunning, the ceremony short and sweet. Photos from that will follow at some point, but I was the second shooter (it was Ara's gig) so I will let her post her shots first. : )
Sunday we made our way to Santa Cruz, where sadly the roller coasters weren't open yet, but we continued north to a different Pebble Beach where our feet were exfoliated, we collected pretty things, and found a roly poly fish head on the beach. By afternoon, we were enjoying smoothies in San Francisco. Nathan and I shared a drink in a bar where we found a giant white rabbit and a woman with a mustache and a fez at the bar! And we thought Portland was weird.
Sunday night brought us excellent Greek food, a visit to a sex shop where we ogled antique sex toys, and ice cream at one of my favorite ice cream shops in the world, Bi Rite Creamery. Salted caramel ice cream, you say? Check!
A night on a hillside in Oakland with friends of Ara's and Nathan's, where we had luxurious and soft towels galore, and a morning at Kate's Kitchen near Haight and Fillmore. Delish!
On our way out of the city we tried to shoot the Golden Gate. The fog bank was amazing, and kept teasing us, fleeting glances of the bridge. At times it was a ghost bridge, we could hear it, but see no more than a few feet in front of us. After much rain, wind, and hopes, we gave up and made our way back to Oregon.
Despite a claustrophobic panic attack, and a painful hip cramp north of Eugene where I had to have Nathan pull the car onto the side of the road and I threw myself to the ground and popped my hip in and out of joint until it felt better, it was an amazing weekend.
I cannot remember the last time I stayed up laughing and screaming and crying over obscene comments for an hour after we turned the lights off, it was like a sleep over from high school, only way better. The company could not have been better. The food was amazing. The weather was perfect. The sights, the sounds, the experiences, it was a weekend I will never forget!

a gorgeous mosaic of a Mermaid ready to kiss a fish. She is surrounded by a rich blue ocean and sea grass. she is resting on a rock and holding her fish friend.
All of the glass is hand-cut in my Clearwater, Fl studio. It has been grouted in black, which really makes the colors pop. Many shades of blue, aqua, green, grey and brown. She is framed in a black metal frame and is ready to hang. The frame measures 14.25 inches wide and 17.25 inches tall. The back is signed and dated by me, Heather MBC.
Free shipping to the Continental United States!
This mosaic will ship double boxed and insured. If you're local, pick-up at my studio is welcomed too!
Thanks for looking!